Motorists and rail passengers bound for France may have been regretting the long weekend after two separate incidents in the Channel Tunnel led to severe delays

The Great Easter Getaway is grinding to a rapid halt as millions of holidaymakers take to the roads .

Tens of thousands of motorists and rail passengers bound for France have had a difficult start to the long weekend when two separate incidents in the Channel Tunnel led to severe delays.

First a train got stuck in one section and later an overhead power cable failed, causing problems elsewhere.

Around 10,000 motorists faced delays of up to four hours for the Folkestone-to-Calais shuttle train service. And passengers on the high-speed Eurostar service via the tunnel were also confronted with delays and diversions.

Meanwhile there were hold-ups on the M5 between Worcester and Birmingham NEC, and in Somerset when a vehicle fire led to the closure of both carriageways south of Taunton.

As the warm weather encouraged more and more trippers out and about, major motoring organisations all warned of possible travel chaos.

RAC spokesman Matt Dallaway said: “We would advise drivers to allow plenty of time for their journey, particularly from areas such as the South West, Lake District and South Wales.”

The weekend will also see an extensive programme of engineering works which Network Rail said would affect 3,000 locations.

And on the London Underground, several lines will be shut or partly shut.

As 700,000 people are expected to fly abroad from the London airports alone, MeteoGroup forecaster Matt Dobson said those staying in the UK could expect the best weather.